Thurso
This article details the information available about Bytown Railway Society's Thurso & Nation Valley Official's Car No. 27 Overview Official Cars were constructed by railways to provide comfortable sleeping and working accomodations for management staff on-site projects. Background This car was originally constructed by Canadian Pacific in 1907 at the railway's Farnham Quebec shop in the Eastern Townships. The car is 35 feet in length and constructed out of wood. Thurso and Nation Valley Railway (T&NVR) purchased the car in 1929 for use by it's officials to travel north of Thurso, Quebec. In subsequent years the car was included in special excursions by the Canadian Railroad Historical Association in the 1960s and later by the Bytown Railway Society in the late 1970s. In 1979, the car was in poor shape and T&NVR was seriously considering disposing of the car by burning it. During a BRS excursion trip in the fall of 1979, the Society offered to restore the car if T&NVR would consider donating it to the Society. T&NVR agreed and even offered the use of their shop in Thurso, Quebec for Car 27's restoration project. T&NVR provided much of the wood required as well as other materials and tools required for the extensive work required. The Society owes a debt of gratitude to T&NVR for all the assistance they provided. Following Car 27's restoration, BRS members enjoyed trips on the T&NVR which included several weekend outings into the wilderness where the car and the Society's caboose were parked on a siding and participants left to enjoy a few days in the woodlands. Car 27 was moved to the Canada Science and Technology Museum shop in Ottawa, Ontario where BRS restoration work is now performed. Current Status Car 27 currently resides at the Canada Science and Technology Museum and is used in the musuem's Shay (steam) Locomotive consist during the summer months. Car Specifics Car 27 has a self-contained kitchen, steward bedroom, bathroom and business area. Kitchen The kitchen is equipped with a coal fired cooking stove; gravity fed hot and cold water, sink and pantry. Steward Bedroom The Steward's Bedroom includes a couch which can be folded down into a bed (berth), and an upper bunk as well that stores up out of the way. Bathroom The bathroom includes a toilet and sink. Business Area This are originally included a bedroom for the official. However, this bedroom was removed during the original BRS restoration project. This area is now an open from the Steward's Bedroom door to the rear of the car. This area also has it's own heating stove to keep the car comfortable during cold excursions. Other Novel Items Silent Butler The car is equipped with an electrical notification system called a "Silent Butler". There are several push-buttons located in the Business end of the car which are connected back to a display box in the Steward's Bedroom (above the door). If an official needed the Steward for something, the official would push the appropriate button physically located next to them, and this would set a corresponding pointer on the display box visually indicating to the Steward that his assistance was being requested and where he needed to proceed upon entering the Business area. Restoration Work History This section details the restoration work performed on the equipment. 1979-1980 Initial Restoration This was the period where the original restoration work was done. All work was performed at T&NVR's Thurso, Quebec shops. *Bedroom was removed. *Canvas Roof replaced *Window frames fixed/replaced. *(More details to follow.) 2008-2009 Frame Realignment Work performed at Canada Science and Technology Museum shop. The car had developed a noticable sag at each end, this needed to be addressed to ensure the car's coupler would line up with other railway equipment. Each end of the car the stairs were removed, the car was jacked up, and the truck pulled out of the way. Custom 1/4" thick metal frame assemblies were then fabricated and installed to help re-align the car's main wooden support beam that runs lengthwise under the car. References Links